Forest and Rangeland Birds of the United States

Natural History and Habitat Use

Limpkin -- Aramus guarauna

RANGE: Resident from southeastern Georgia and northern Florida (east of
the Apalachicola River) south through peninsular Florida, Central America, and
South America.

STATUS: Locally common.

HABITAT: Inhabits freshwater cypress swamps, marshes of saw grass or
bulrushes, bayous, sloughs, and wooded marshy rivers or streams. Sometimes perches
in tops of the tallest trees or on shrubs.

SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Freshwater marshes with dense vegetation
or trees and shrubs for nesting.

NEST: Commonly nests among clumps of tall grasses or other aquatic
plants above shallow water. Sometimes nests 5 to 8 feet above the ground in
bushes, vines, or trees along banks of streams, or on platforms just above water
in dense vegetation.

FOOD: Probes for food in shallow water or in soft mud on mud flats
for freshwater snails, especially Pomacea; also eats mussels, frogs, lizards,
worms, insects, and a few seeds.